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Hurricane Leslie (2024) (Blackford)
'''Hurricane Leslie '''was a extremely powerful Category 5 hurricane that struck the Yucatan Peninsula and Texas in early September of 2024. The hurricane was the twelfth named storm, ninth hurricane and third major hurricane of the record breaking 2024 Atlantic hurricane season. The storm is tied with Hurricane Allen of 1980 and Hurricane Dorian of 2019 as the strongest Atlantic hurricane on record in terms of wind speeds, peaking early on September 6 with winds of 190 mph. The storm was the first Category 5 hurricane to make landfall in the continental United States since Michael in 2018. Meteorological history On August 24, the NHC began tracking the remnants of Tropical Storm Joyce for the possibility of the wave reforming and becoming a tropical disturbance east of the Windward Islands. By August 27, the NHC had noted the new wave as having a 60% chance of development within 48 hours and a 90% chance within 5 days, as it neared a environment with non-existent wind shear and warm waters approaching 90 degrees. Early on August 29, the NHC began issuing advisories on Tropical Depression Fourteen, it quickly intensified into Tropical Storm Leslie by 16:00 UTC that day. The storm intensified into a Category 1 hurricane early on September 1 before rapidly intensifying into a 155 mph Category 4 hurricane by the morning of September 2 as it passed north of Jamaica. However, the NHC made note of concentric eyewalls forming that afternoon, and Leslie underwent a eyewall replacement cycle overnight, weakening to a Category 2. The storm stalled northwest of Jamaica on September 3, and began moving at speeds of 2 to 3 mph that afternoon. By September 5, the storm was a minimal Category 2 with winds of 95 mph, however it underwent extremely explosive intensification that evening into a 160 mph Category 5 by 03:00 UTC that night with a minimum central pressure of 899 mbar. By 06:00 UTC the storm's pressure had dropped another 13 mbar's to 884 mbar and the wind speeds increased by 30 mph to 190 mph. In just 24 hours, the storms pressure dropped 98 mbars from 982 mbar to 884 mbar, and the winds increased by 95 mph from 95 mph to 190 mph, making it one of the quickest intensifications on record. The storm would not be at this intensity for long, as by that evening the winds had dropped to 180 mph and the pressure had increased to 892 mbar. The storm neared the Yucatan Peninsula on September 7 with winds of 175 mph and a minimum central pressure of 901 mbar. The storm made landfall in the Yucatan late that night with winds of 165 mph and a pressure of 909 mbar. The storm quickly weakened on September 8 to a 125 mph Category 3 with a pressure of 938 mbar. It emerged into the Gulf of Mexico that afternoon and quickly re-intensified on September 10 to have winds of 170 mph and a pressure of 904 mbar. The storm had developed a pinhole eye at this point and hurricane warnings were in effect along the Gulf Coast of the United States. The storm finally neared Houston on September 11 and made landfall with winds of 165 mph and a pressure of 914 mbar, or a low-end Category 5 hurricane. The storm weakened to a Category 3 as it moved through the northwestern Houston suburbs before it pulled back out into the Gulf of Mexico as a tropical storm early on September 12 and rapidly re-intensified into a Category 3 as it pulled northward and made landfall in Louisiana. The storm moved inland and weakened to a tropical storm near Memphis. By the time it reached Indiana it had transitioned into a large extratropical cyclone, although it briefly became a mixture of tropical and extratropical on September 16 over Lake Huron. The remnants of Leslie finally became unrecognizable on September 17 over upper Ontario. Records Leslie became the costliest natural disaster in the history of Michigan after it's 60 mph winds damaged a power plant near Flint, resulting in it exploding 3 days later, causing $25 billion in damages. It also holds the record as the strongest post-tropical/tropical disturbance on the Great Lakes, peaking with winds of 50 mph and briefly becoming a tropical storm over Lake Huron, a event which has yet to be repeated. Not only that, but it is one of the most intense tropical cyclones in recorded history, peaking with a minimum central pressure of 884 mbar and winds of 190 mph. Aftermath Leslie caused extreme damage in Jamaica, the Yucatan, Texas and Louisiana. Due to this damage, the WMO decided in Spring 2025 to retire the name. The name ''Leslie ''will never again be used for another Atlantic hurricane, it was replaced by ''Lorena ''for use in the 2030 Atlantic hurricane season. Category:Category 5 Atlantic hurricanes Category:Category 5 hurricanes Category:Costly storms Category:Deadly storms Category:Texas Hurricanes